Why a stated method matters
Most no deposit bonus lists are ordered by commission. Ours is not, and the only way that claim means anything is if we publish the criteria and let you check our listings against them. This page is that method.
1. Licence verification
Before anything else we confirm the operator holds a valid licence, and we check the licence number against the regulator’s own public register rather than trusting the badge in the site footer. Licences we treat as meaningful include the Malta Gaming Authority, the UK Gambling Commission, and national regulators such as Denmark’s Spillemyndigheden or Sweden’s Spelinspektionen.
A Curaçao licence is not automatically disqualifying, but it carries far weaker player protection and far weaker dispute resolution, and we say so on the review where it applies.
2. Reading the bonus terms in full
This is where most no deposit offers fall apart. For every bonus we record:
- Wagering requirement — the multiple you must stake before a withdrawal is possible. On no deposit bonuses, 30x to 60x of the bonus amount is typical.
- Maximum cashout — the hard cap on what a no deposit bonus can ever pay out, frequently €50 to €100 regardless of what you win.
- Maximum bet while wagering — usually €5. Exceeding it once is enough for most operators to void the entire balance.
- Game weighting — slots normally count 100%, table games often 10% or 0%. A bonus that excludes the games you actually play is not a bonus.
- Expiry — many no deposit bonuses expire in 24 to 72 hours.
- Verification requirements — whether ID is demanded before or only after a withdrawal request.
We calculate what the bonus is realistically worth after these conditions, not what the headline number says.
3. Withdrawal and payment testing
We check which payment methods are supported for withdrawal specifically, since operators routinely accept deposit methods they will not pay out to. We record stated processing times, minimum withdrawal thresholds, and whether the operator applies its own fees.
4. Complaint history
We look at how the operator behaves when a payout is disputed, using public complaint records and regulator rulings. A pattern of confiscated winnings, indefinite verification delays, or terms invoked retroactively will keep an operator off this site regardless of how good the bonus looks.
5. Scoring
Ratings are on a five point scale and weighted as follows:
- Bonus value after terms — 30%. What the offer is actually worth once wagering, caps and weighting are applied.
- Licensing and player protection — 25%.
- Withdrawal reliability — 20%.
- Game library — 15%.
- Support quality — 10%. Tested by contacting live chat with a real bonus terms question.
An operator that scores below 3.5 is not listed.
Re-checks and removals
Bonus terms change constantly. We re-verify listed offers on a rolling basis and remove any operator whose terms deteriorate materially, whose licence lapses, or whose complaint pattern changes. If you find a listing that no longer matches reality, tell us via our contact page — reader corrections are the fastest signal we get.
More about who we are and how we are funded is on our about page.